It's the ice cream man, bringing SpongeBob pops and Cherry Bombs to a suburb near you.

But the ice cream truck, seen less and less on South Florida streets, is "the last of a dying breed," says Joe Orandello, local owner of the Broadway Joe's fleet.

No one has an official count on the number of ice cream trucks in the region or across the country, said Chris Long, president of the International Association of Ice Cream Distributors & Vendors. But he dismissed talk of doom and gloom for the ice cream man, saying more people may be going into the business after losing jobs in the private sector.

But in South Florida, some cities have either banned ice cream trucks and street vendors altogether or made it tough for them to operate by crafting strict guidelines regulating how and where they can do business.

Because of the bans, ice cream trucks tend to steer clear of cities like Coral Springs and Sunrise, say Orandello and other ice cream truck vendors. Sometimes, however, they do cross into taboo territory.

"Sunrise technically banned the ice cream trucks in 1987," Orandello said. "But most people turn their heads. Most cops are not going to pull over an ice cream truck."

Still, customers can be hard to find.

Five days a week, Norris Wheeler, 63, cruises through neighborhoods in Hollywood and Dania Beach, constantly on the lookout for customers.

"I could be driving around here for an hour and not find any kids," said Wheeler, who started hawking frosty treats for Broadway Joe's four years ago. When gas prices go up, ice cream sales go down, Wheeler says. And when the summer comes, sales go back up.

Ice cream trucks are welcome in Delray Beach, as long as they don't park too long in one spot.

There's no ban in Boca Raton, but the trucks must ride silently through the streets, no blaring music allowed.

In Sunrise, ice cream trucks are virtually outlawed due to the city's ban on outdoor sales. That means hot dog vendors, flower carts and food trucks aren't welcome unless they jump through several hoops.

Since 1993, the city has required ice cream trucks and other street vendors to apply for a temporary permit that would expire after three days. Noice cream truck vendor has ever applied for such a permit in Sunrise, a city official said.

To work at a special event, they need a permit. The application fee is $100 on vacant property and $50 on developed property. They also need to post a $250 refundable clean-up bond.

In Pembroke Pines, ice cream trucks and other street vendors need to be invited, and get it writing, before doing business in a shopping center.

"We said if you are invited by a private property to come in, that's fine," said Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo. "But you can't just barge in to place where you are not welcome."

The city banned ice cream trucks and other street vendors in 1985 after a child was hit and killed after buying ice cream.

If an officer catches anyone selling ice cream inside city limits, the driver would get a warning, Mertes said. If caught a second time, the driver could be fined $50 and have their truck impounded. Getting it back would cost $200.

"The kid runs out and the car hits them — and they blame it on the ice cream man," said Orandello, who predicts the bans will bring about the end of the neighborhood ice cream truck.

"In the next 10 years, you won't see any more," he said. "All the cities are doing away with them."